Already he’s seen enough to still want to be there for the World Cup in a decade’s time.

The gulf state has been mired in football controversy sinbelieves the youngsters hice winning the rights to stage FIFA’s flagship in 2022.

But 48-year-old Rice, who became the first Scottish coach to work there when he took up his post with the Al-Khor Sporting Club on the coast outside the capital Doha, insists they’ll prove to a skeptical watching world they’re worthy hosts.

The former Hibs and Falkirk assistant boss is working with a generation of kids he believes will form the backbone of their squad when the rest of the global game comes calling in 10 years.

And from what he’s already witnessed in terms of attitude, desire and cold hard cash, he reckons they’ll stop at nothing to make it a success story.

Rice, one of the country’s most respected coaches, had been working as Watford’s top scout and analyst before their recent Italian takeover.

But he jumped at the chance of a fresh challenge in the oil-rich nation on the Persian Gulf.

He told MailSport: “It’s fantastic here, a breath of fresh air.

“I could see what was coming at Watford. That’s the nature of football.

“As soon as the Italians came in, you knew they’d be bringing their own people to fill most of the roles. There’s nothing you can do about that. At that point, I honestly wouldn’t have taken a job in Scotland – I got fed up seeing the stuff going on off the field getting more attention than the stuff on it.

“I was aware there was a chance here because Al-Kho’s technical director, a guy called Mohammad Rbah, had been on the A-Licence in the summer, which I was helping the SFA assess.

“I made the enquiry and, although there were plenty of hoops to jump through between lawyers and embassies to get here, I’m glad I did.

“I really feel like I’m here for the long term already. Obviously you never can tell in the game but I hope I’m still here when the World Cup comes – and I hope I’m here supporting Scotland in it.”

Rice is in charge of the club’s Under-17 set-up, although he’s employed by the national Olympic committee who oversee the country’s youth development in all sports.

He has already encouraged fellow Scots Stuart Taylor, the former Hamilton No.2, and goalkeeping coach Colin Stewart to join him.

And he believes the Qatari kids are reaping the benefit of the coaching prowess now renowned the world over.

He said: “We were asked here because they like the way Scottish coaches went about their business.

“And they want to build something – something big.

“That’s the thing – everything is done right here. Whether it’s the local shopping mall, the arenas we play in or the training facilities – there are no half measures.

“Everything’s to the highest of standards. You look at what they’ve achieved with the Qatar Masters golf, or the Formula One Grand Prix. I’ve seen three or four of the stadiums already and they are utterly fantastic.

“It might be 45 degrees outside in the heat of the day but you can literally programme the place to play at any temperature you want inside them.

“Ours is decent – it holds around 20,000 and is impressive – but they’re still building a new one for the World Cup which will be even more state of the art.

“Money is no object – but they don’t want people coming here just for that. They want the game to be right as well.”

That’s where their long-term vision appeals to the former Hibs and Nottingham Forest midfielder.

Brian Rice coaching in Qatar

With the new season for their 18-team Stars League youth set-up about to start, he said: “The kids are technically pretty average. There are probably one or two in each age group you’d look at now and think they have a real chance.

“But they’re desperate to get better and even in five weeks, you can see a difference.

“No disrespect to the coaches who’ve been here before but I don’t think they’ve had anything on the level we’re offering them.

“They see a World Cup coming here in 10 years and want to be representing their country on that stage.

“The kids I’m coaching just now, they’ll be at the peak of their careers by then if they make it so it’s a massive incentive for them.

“For some of them it’s just a hobby, right enough. You see them driving up to training in a new sports car, and the next week they’ll drive up in a different new sports car.

“But there are others who are really hungry for it. And the discipline is a different world. There’s no cheek, no backchat, no ‘f*** you! I’m off’ about them. They’re respectful and when they’re here they work hard.

“The sessions are supposed to be 90 minutes but they want more all the time and as a coach you have to love that.”

Rice has had to make a few adjustments of his own – the daytime heat means training at night and he’s swotting hard to overcome the language barrier.

He said: “I’m learning all the key words in Arabic, I’m studying hard, and hopefully it’s helping them learn some English too, which will stand them in good stead in the game if they end up travelling.

“Obviously it’s different – when I first came out, the team were training at half-nine at night because of Ramadan but now we’re back in a normal routine.

“We’re there at the back of six every night, and even though you’re getting home at 11, the lifestyle is fantastic.

“I know there was a lot of dubiety about Qatar getting the World Cup ahead of Australia – but trust me, by the time it comes, it will be ready and it will feel right.”